Alabama Security Guard Permit Information (Guard Card)
Sections
- Overview
- Temporary Permit
- Personal License (Unarmed)
- Requirements to Become a Security Guard
- Firearms Permits (Armed)
- Renewal and Continuing Education Requirements
- Fingerprinting/Background Check
- Disqualifying Convictions
Overview
The governing state agency is the Alabama Security Regulatory Board (ASRB). Unarmed guards are issued a temporary license to work as a guard upon sucessful completion of the inital training. The temporary permit is only valid for 30-days and cannot be extended. This 30-day period allows the applicant to submit all of the paperwork to the ASRB. If the temporary permit expires and the official permit is not recieved, the guard cannot stand a post.
- NOTE: The actual license is issued by the State of Alabama, not the trainer.
Temporary Permit
Upon sucessfully passing the final examination, an applicant is immediately issued at Temporary Permit to work as a security guard. This temporary permit allows the applicant to work for 30-calendar days, upon which time it expires and the guard must stop working until the Personal License is received.
Temporary Permits cannot be renewed.
Personal License (Unarmed Security Officer)
A minimum of 8-hours of initial training is required for licensure.
Licensure with the Alabama Security Regulatory Board (the Board) is a privilege, not a right, and the license may be revoked for violation of any law, rule, or regulation deemed relevant by the Board.
If the Board denies the Personal License, the applicant must immediately stop performing any services or activities regulated by the Board upon receipt of notification of license denial.
Requirements to Become a Security Guard
The applicant must:
- Be at least 18-years old for unarmed guard, 21-years old for armed guards.
- Be a citizen of the United States or a resident alien.
- Have never been convicted in any jurisdiction of the United States of any Felony or crime involving Moral Turpitude for which a full pardon has not been granted.
- Have never been declared, by any court of competent jurisdiction, incompetent by reason of mental defect or disease, and competency has not been restored.
- Not suffering from habitual drunkenness or from narcotics addiction or dependence.
Firearms Permits (Armed Security Officer)
Applicants must be at least 21-years old.
14 hours of training and a range qualification are required for firearms permits.
Firearms Safety Training as required by §34-27C-8(c) shall include, but may not be limited to, achieving a passing score on a Board-mandated qualification course with a handgun, shotgun and rifle, instruction on the use of force laws of the State of Alabama, and instruction on the safe handling and storage of firearms.
- NOTE: A Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) permit does not qualify a security guard to carry armed.
Renewal and Continuing Education Requirements
8-hours of refresher training is required for unarmed guards.
An additional 2-hours of firearms refresher training is required for armed guards.
Firearms Refresher Training as required by §34-27C-8(c) shall include, but may not be limited to, achieving a passing score on a Board-mandated qualification course with a handgun, shotgun and rifle.
Fingerprinting/Background Check
The Board conducts State and FBI criminal history background checks.
The application must include a classifiable set of the applicant's own fingerprints, taken by an authorized law enforcement agency with an FBI-issued Originating Agency Number (ORI).
The fingerprints accompanying the application should be provided to ALEA on an official FBI-approved "Applicant" Fingerprint Card FD-258 (Rev 12-10-07) or a FBI-approved AFIS printout of an official "Applicant" fingerprint card (i.e., FBI blue card) collected by an approved law enforcement agency with a valid FBI ORI. This permits positive identification and ensures that the proper criminal record is reviewed.
Convictions
Alabama Security Regulatory Board, Administrative Code, Chapter 832-X-1, Administration and Procedure
§832-X-1-.05
- Felony Convictions
- Any person convicted of a felony offense will not be eligible for a license from the Board, unless a full pardon has been granted.
- Misdemeanor Convictions
- Any person convicted of a misdemeanor offense involving moral turpitude or any similar offense, excluding all sexual and violent offenses (see Section (b) and (c)), will not be eligible for a license from the Board within five (5) calendar years of their most recent conviction, unless a full pardon has been granted.
- Any person convicted of a misdemeanor violent offense will not be eligible for a license from the Board within (10) calendar years of their most recent conviction, unless a full pardon has been granted.
- Any person convicted of a misdemeanor sexual offense will not be eligible for a license from the Board, unless a full pardon has been granted.
